Best Classical Music for Sonus Faber Stradivari

Never buy just for the quality of the recording (okay maybe just once to use as a demo). The performance means everything in any form of music and classical is no exception.

If you're just starting out then try the Carlos Klieber conducted Beethoven 5th and 7th symphonies. They are well recorded and very good performances. Try also the George Szell conducted Brahms Symphony #3 with Variations on a Theme by Haydn. These are all pieces that haven't grown old in 35 years of listening.

You can try Gary Karr Double Bass album for a mix, the double bass should be "to die for" on your SF.

Tall order as there are thousands. I'd suggest buying the DGG set celebrating James Levine's 60th B'day. The 3 CD's contains spectacular performances of Brahms, Stravinsky, Bartok, Sibelius, Beethoven... Uniformly stunning. Next I would get John Eliot Gardiner's recording of Bach's St. Matthew Passion (or Suzuki's recording of the Matthew Passion on the BIS label), Beethoven's MISSA SOLEMNIS (Gardiner) and the Beethoven Nine Symphonies with Abbado conducting the Berlin Philharmonic. After that some random suggestions: CHRONOCHROMIE of Messiaen (Boulez conducting on DGG), Boulez's DGG recordings of DEBUSSY with the Cleveland Orchestra, Schoenberg's GURRELIEDER (either the Chailly recording on Decca or Abbado's recording on DGG)....

Maxim Vengerov's entire output for Teldec includes many of the important sonata pieces for violin and piano, as well as him playing war horses like Tchaikovsky' violin concerto and Brahm's Violin Concerto. Most are recorded with the CSO, BSO or NYPhil, and he is otherwise backed by first-rate accompaniests. He is now on EMI and all of his releases are events.

As for one-off titles, I would list:

- Krystian Zimerman performing Beethoven's 3rd and 4th Syphonies for Piano (Bernstein conducting the Berlin Philharmonic): 429 749-2 GH

- The resissue of the incredibly successful soundtrack from Tous les Matins du Monde. It was one of highest selling classical CD's in history: ALIA VOX AV 9821

All of the above titles sound supurd on a high-end system and, most importantly, are very good to great performances.